The West Yorkshire Economic Growth Conference will look at major infrastructure developments in the region

Most towns and cities in West Yorkshire have undergone huge changes in recent years - but more big projects are on the way soon.

That's the message from key leaders in Leeds today, as they discuss the likely rail, road and building schemes that will aim to boost the regional economy at the West Yorkshire Economic Growth Conference.

The event has drawn in business leaders from all over the country to shine a spotlight on how West Yorkshire can fully utilise its potential at the very core of the Northern Powerhouse.

A number of high-profile guests are on hand to talk about how Huddersfield town centre can benefit from investment in the north of England, the increased footfall that Leeds will see as a result of HS2 and how Leeds Bradford Airport can bring international visitors to the region.

Follow our live blog for all the updates on what to expect in the coming years.

14:36

Final words... a mention for Huddersfield!

There hasn’t been much talk of Huddersfield in the past hour or so - but Barry White makes a strong final point.“I want to stress how much Huddersfield will benefit from the TransPennine Express upgrade,” he says.

And with that, the session is brought to a close.

14:36

Government funding is key

Barry White says that Crossrail for the North cannot fall foul of the same traps as London’s Crossrail 2, where local authorities are footing some of the bill.

“We need Crossrail for the North to be 100 per cent funded by central government so that local authorities can tap into the urban infrastructure and transport needs.”

Crossrail for the North is the east-west coast link also known as HS3.

14:32

Brexit rears its head

Well, that didn’t take long!

Brexit is evidently a core aspect of any future plans for the UK, and the panel are now being quizzed about its impact in a question and answer session.

Matt Rice from Network Rail says devolution will become more and more crucial as a result of Brexit as local areas are given more powers.

14:26

Easing M62 congestion

Barry White’s final point is to do with providing a ‘greater choice’ for commuters in the north of England.

He points to the A66 in Cumbria, County Durham and North Yorkshire as a potential to provide relief on the motorway, but also taking more people on an improved rail network.

14:25

Leeds - Liverpool journeys to be cut to one hour

Barry White says people will soon be able to travel on the rail network between Leeds and Liverpool in just 60 minutes after HS2 is delivered.“This will help the north as a whole,” he says, paying particular significant to the increase in opportunities for Bradford.

14:24

Transport for the North

Next up is Barry White, Chief Executive of Transport for the North - but who are they?

The first sub-national transport policy group

They provide a cohesive voice for the north of England

14:17

The apologies continue

Matt Rice ends with another apology.”We haven’t done well enough in recent years.”We need to think about change today so that it takes place in five years time - but we need to follow that process all the way through.”

14:17

'We need to serve local economies'

“My job is to make sure the timetable changes see better opportunities come to life,” says Matt Rice.He says his team have a part to play ‘right at the beginning of the conversation’ when it comes to improving the rail network, but that due to the nature of the rail network any changes do take a long time.

“The sooner you can talk to us, the sooner we can make those changes. You have a huge east to west corridor from Liverpool to Newcastle, so a small change to a Harrogate-York service for instance has a massive, massive impact.”

14:15

Network Rail boss says 'I'm sorry'

Matt Rice, Principal Strategic Planner, Network Rail, is now speaking and begins with an apology for the debacle on the Northern network this summer.“When I signed up for this gig, May 18 hadn’t happened,” he says.

“I’m sorry for the mess that you suffered on the railway. Frankly as a rail industry we’ve not been joined up enough.

“I think we’re going to see some announcements in the next few days about better joined-up thinking.

“It can no longer be as fragmented as it has been in the last few years.”

14:14

The south bank area in Leeds

The South Bank regeneration will completely transform large swathes of the city centre, Holbeck and Hunslet (Image: Leeds City Council)

14:04

Train station central to Leeds growth

Leeds train station sees 29 million passengers pass through its door every single year, making it the busiest piece of transport infrastructure in the north of England.It’s set to undergo a £500 million renovation in the coming years in anticipation of HS2.

The new parts of the station will stretch 500 metres south of the River Aire, providing a huge increase in capacity for rail commuters.

Because it’s such a big development, different parts of that station will cater for different parts of the South Bank.

14:01

Leeds city centre to double in size

Angela Barnicle is talking about the hugely ambitious plans for South Bank, which will double the size of Leeds city centre.However, it’s not simply about a geographical expansion - the massive scheme south of the River Aire will also double in terms of its economic output.

How the new South Bank entrance to Leeds Station could look (Image: Leeds City Council)

13:57

Huge private sector job growth in Leeds

Angela Barnicle, Chief Officer for Economic Development at Leeds City Council, is now on stage talking about the economic growth for Leeds.“We are seeing the fastest private sector job growth of any UK city,” she says.

13:55

More international destinations are likely

“In the next month or two I’d expect more airlines to be announced,” says Phil Forster.

Brussels and Paris are just two of the cities that are being mentioned as ‘on the radar’